In Cannes, where we follow the global journey of our stories with Episode Magazine, the Episode Talks microphone brought together new projects, familiar faces, and the excitement of the next story.
There is something strangely intimate about a TV series travelling around the world. In a city you have never visited, someone you have never met gets annoyed with the same character you watch every week. Their eyes fill with tears during the same scene. You are thousands of kilometres apart, yet somehow, you are in the same place.
Throughout MIPCOM, part of my mind was right here.
The October sunshine in Cannes, conversations stretching along the seafront, familiar faces encountered while walking from one meeting to another… Running into Pınar Deniz in Cannes while walking together, after never quite managing to meet in Istanbul, and having a good laugh about it… Sometimes, it takes an international event to finally bring two people’s schedules together.
Cannes is generous in that respect. There is time both to work and to enjoy life. At least, that was the case for me… I even managed to fit in some time by the sea between Episode Talks shoots. It would have been a shame to spend such beautiful weather doing nothing but filming the programme 🙂
Possibilities That Aren’t in the Catalogue
As you move around MIPCOM, the word “trade fair” hardly does justice to what is happening. Of course, series are being presented and deals are being discussed. But the real movement comes from people’s curiosity about one another’s ideas. A conversation can lead to a partnership; a path can open up for a story that has not even been filmed yet. Everyone has a catalogue in hand and the next possibility on their mind.
Being in Cannes with the English-language edition of Episode reminded me that we are not merely spectators of this international journey of stories; we are part of it, too. And this journey is not limited to Cannes. Episode Magazine follows a calendar that stretches from MIP Cancun to Dubai International Content Market, from Content Americas in Miami to NEM Dubrovnik, and from ATF Singapore to Series Mania in Lille.
With its special print editions, media partnerships, and collaborations with brands from Türkiye and around the world, it has established a strong presence among international industry publications. It is also a pleasure to be part of a publication that brings together producers, distributors, and global brands from different countries. As our stories travel the world, it is a source of pride to see the pages that tell them being passed from hand to hand around those same tables.
Microphones On, Conversations That Keep Going
The interest in Turkish actors is another lively expression of this curiosity.
We talked with Pınar Deniz, Selahattin Paşalı, and Ömür Atay about The Hatmaker; with Burak Özçivit about Land of the Sun; and about how Turkish productions are being received around the world. We met and chatted with Rahimcan Kapkap and Elçin Zehra İrem, the actors in Different Lives.
We had a conversation with Burak Sağyaşar, co-founder and CEO of TİMSBİ, covering his new projects and Eşref Tek, which they are preparing for Prime Video. I also hosted Acun Ilıcalı on Episode Talks. We filmed one of our Cannes episodes with him. We discussed programme formats with Adil Şentekin and Timuçin Güner from Shine Medya.
We also filmed some very important episodes with Hasret Özcan from Inter Medya and Milena Djuricic from Videomite.
We will be publishing all of them. Considering the conversations that continued after the cameras stopped rolling, we could probably put together a few more episodes, too.
Next Season Might Look a Little Different
I also met the full team behind the vertical series Neighbors at MIPCOM. While the global journey of long-running series was being discussed on one side, stories designed to fit on a phone screen were taking shape on the other. The screen is getting smaller, but we have no shortage of stories to tell.
And then there was the vast world of content opening up through artificial intelligence. What I saw made me curious not only about what we will watch in the future, but also about how those stories will be produced. I suspect the coming seasons of the content industry will look quite different from what we are used to. Just as we are getting accustomed to vertical screens, a few new ideas are already knocking at the door.
It’s a Family Affair, Even in Dubbing 🙂
The emotions in our stories can easily find their way into other people’s lives. Someone in Madrid recognises the tension around a family dinner in Istanbul. A viewer in Lisbon understands the reason behind that silence. Someone else in Buenos Aires may realise before we do that a character has fallen in love with the wrong person. Love, family, heartbreak… We can understand one another through subtitles or dubbing. After all, sometimes it is harder to understand each other when we speak the same language.
International distribution companies play a major role in this journey. At ATV Distribution’s dinner, at the parties hosted by Calinos Entertainment, Eccho Rights, and Global Agency, and at the stands of Inter Medya, OGM Universe, Kanal D International, TRT Sales, and Acun Medya, I was struck by the care put into presentations and hospitality. A thoughtfully considered detail and a project presented in just the right way can make a difference. What’s more, the curiosity sparked by one production can make room for another.
A Duet Is Great, but What If Your Partner Changes?
I also watched The Greatest Duo, the new competition format presented by İzzet Pinto and Global Agency, for the first time at the Olympia Cinema in Cannes. In this format, which brings musical connections to the same stage, duos who sing together compete while the possibility of switching partners also comes into play. In other words, what happens when the harmony falls apart is just as intriguing as the harmony itself. When you are given the option of continuing a journey with someone else, the lyrics of the song naturally begin to take on a little more meaning.
Coffee Is Pricey in Cannes, Too
It was a pleasant surprise to hear Salted Love mentioned by both Turkish and international industry figures I spoke with. I even sent Polat Yağcı a message: “I swear, people are talking about you here.” I think the series has a strong rhythm that works well in short videos. Each sequence creates its own sense of curiosity, making you want to see the next scene. Its potential for vertical storytelling deserves a discussion of its own.
It is also lovely to see that past productions such as Black Money Love are still attracting interest while new projects are being introduced. Somewhere in the world, someone is still experiencing the excitement of a story whose ending we already know.
That was part of what stayed with me in Cannes: while we turn our attention to new stories, the old ones keep travelling, too. Some love stories continue to visit quite a few countries, even after they have ended.
